... LORDS OF BUKKAKE "Desagravio" (Album Review)

“Desagravio” is my first encounter with the Spanish three piece band “Lords of Bukkake”, although the band exists since 2003 and this is their third full length release (through Total Rust Music).

I put the CD into the player , listen to the intro of the opening track “Boca Ácida” and my first thought is: "This guitar won’t obey any rules”. When after about one and a half minutes the drums set in I think: “The drums won’t either.”

And then a lot of thoughts storm my poor brain containing ideas like this is going to be jammy, spacey, jazzy, proggy, sludgy, doomy: ….. Chaotic? Yes and no, or maybe it’s just me who can’t decide?

 

This sense of ambiguity accompanies me throughout the whole album. With its only four but lengthy tracks and an overall runtime of about 48 minutes, it keeps on creating new exciting tensions and surprises.

The entire affair is of utter depressing darkness, a heavily brooding mood of a menacing and constantly lurking danger that forces an alertness upon the listener (me) that is agonizing and enthralling at the same time.

Slow heavy depressive doom parts with riffs thick as ….( well very thick) mix up with noisy punk encrusted sludge, 70s psychedelic stoner vibes and jammy freaked out guitar solos. Each change promises relief from the torturing heaviness, but soon I realize there is no relief, only the instrument of torture changes and everything is just getting even more intense. The bleak and acerbic vocals don’t exactly offer any comfort either.

And yet I enjoy every heavy riff, every bleak caustic scream of the vocals, every twist and turn that just adds another strain that tears my soul into pieces instead of offering even the slightest lightening of the atmosphere.

What the hell is it that makes this agony worthwhile?

It’s the intensity on different levels. There’s the intensity of the direct nasty brutality and the intensity of the intricate jazzy structures that drench everything in a kind of jazz-doom mood that’s absolutely amazing. In addition “Lords of Bukkake” merge it all so unbelievably well into a cohesive, organic experience, yet they save the feel of chaotic anarchy, not least because of the insanely brilliant guitar solos with a huge amount of emotional impact that never fails to heal my torn soul.

“Desagravio” already belongs into the list of my favorite releases of 2013.


words by Ulla Roschat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I3qklrLlQE&feature=player_detailpage

http://www.totalrust-music.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lords-of-Bukkake/107151712788724